Run Windows on your Mac with VirtualBox

Many mac users still use some windows applications on a regular basis. Unfortunately, unless a certain price is paid, you have to reboot your computer into windows just to use the one, small application that you want to. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem, VirtualBox; an open-source virtualisation application which allows users to run both their primary operating system and a guest operating system simultaneously.

The main allure of VirtualBox is that it is completely free; unlike it’s rivals, VMware and Parallels. Despite this, the application is still feature rich, and equals it’s rivals in a variety of ways. Installing a virtual machine within VirtualBox is incredibly simple. Users simply set the amount of RAM and hard disk space that they would like the guest Operating System to use, and then continue with the regular installation of the operating system. The ease of installing a guest operating system in VirtualBox is comparable to the ease of the aforementioned virtualisation applications.

The majority of users will want their guest operating system to be able to run smoothly. VirtualBox does not disappoint. If you have a powerful enough machine, and you configure VirtualBox correctly, the whole guest operating system will run smoothly, and should have a fairly snappy feel.  Although operating system’s running in VirtualBox will not be able to handle high-end games or other hardware intensive applications, it will cope perfectly with web browsers, word processors and the like. VirtualBox is stable, and rarely crashes; a problem that has plagued other virtualisation applications over the years. Users of VirtualBox will not feel that they are using an application that is any less stable than its’ rivals.

VirtualBox also boasts something known as ‘Seamless mode’. When this mode is selected, the application that you are using within your guest operating system will now have it’s own window within OS X, instead of a window within the guest operating system. This is particularly useful if you want to have an application that belongs in your guest operating system running next to an application running in OS X, without wasting valuable screen space. It is also useful if you will be using an application from the guest operating system for a sustained period of time. Although other virtualisation applications all have similar features, most users will be amazed at how closely matched they are with the free alternative that is VirtualBox.

The screenshot above shows VirtualBox running in Seamleass mode within OS X.

Overall, I think that VirtualBox is a very good application. Despite being open-source, it manages to retain some of the qualities that it’s expensive rivals have. It is simple to set-up, has some great features, and most importantly, it runs smoothly. I would recommend VirtualBox to anyone who would like to run their primary operating system and a guest operating system simaltaneously, yet cannot justify the price of products such as VMware and Parallels. Also, with the numerous distributions of linux, as well as the freely downloadable Windows 7 Release Candidate, many will be able to dabble in virtualisation software completely free of charge.